AU2012327165B2 - Unified wagering data model - Google Patents

Abstract

(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date W O 2013/110114 Al 1 August 2013 (01.08.2013) W I PO I P CT (51) International Patent Classification: (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every G06Q 50/34 (2012.01) kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, (21) International Application Number: CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, PCT/AU2012/000052 DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, Fl, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, (22) International Filing Date: HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, 23 January 2012 (23.01.2012) KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, (25) Filing Language: English OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SC, SD, (26) Publication Language: English SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): ACCEN TURE GLOBAL SERVICES LIMITED [IE/IE]; 3 (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every Grand Canal Plaza, Grand Canal Street Upper, Dublin 4 kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (IF). GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, (72) Inventors; and TJ, TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only): SIMONGINI, Al- DK, EE, ES, Fl, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, berto [AU/AU]; 1/746 Orrong Road, Toorak, Victoria LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, 3142 (AU). LEE, Chia Min [AU/AU]; 1/58 Westbrook SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, Street, Kew East, Victoria 3102 (AU). GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). (74) Agent: LESICAR MURRAY TRENTO; GPO Box 2545, Published: Kent Town, South Australia 5071 (AU). - with international search report (Art. 21(3)) (54) Title: UNIFIED WAGERING DATA MODEL r705 710 715 EVENTS PRODUCTS CUSTOMERS 705 Horse race 710a- Win 715a E. Smith a Doomben - Race 5, Fixed-odds New South Wales 11 October 2011 710b -win 715b - *A. Jones Horse race Pari-mutuel Queensland 705b Randwick - Race 2 11 October 2011 710c Trifecta F. Brown Fixed-odds 71c Victoria Rugby League Match 705c Melbourne v. St George 12 October 2011 (57) Abstract: A disadvantage of existing betting operations is the implementation of fixed odds and pari-mutuel betting on specific and dedicated systems. This results in higher acquisition and maintenance costs as compared with a single system. According to the present invention, a single system allows both fixed odds and pari-mutuel betting to be offered on a single system wherein the sys tem effects a computer-implemented method of wagering, including: receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a cus r4 tomer in respect of a wagered event and a wagered product; storing the wager, in an electronic data store, and associating the wager with the wagered event, the wagered product and a customer account, wherein the computer system manages the electronic data store, having stored therein, a plurality of events, a plurality of products and a plurality of customers, all of which are independently defined.

Description

1 TITLE UNIFIED WAGERING DATA MODEL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 5 The present invention relates to a system, method and computer instruction code for wagering. Although not exclusively, the invention is particularly useful for implementing a "unified" wagering system. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 10 The terms "gambling" and "betting" refer to a risking of something, typically money, with respect to the outcome of a future event. Typically, two or more people gamble on different outcomes of the event, and the winner, or winners, collect all, or a substantial portion of a prize pool. The event may be a sporting, racing, or political event, for example. The ratio between the 15 risked amount and a return is typically referred to as "odds". Typically, the odds of an outcome correlate with the likelihood of an outcome occurring. A horse for example, may have odds of 50 to 1 to win a particular race. If $1 is wagered on this outcome, the return is $50 in the event the horse wins the race. The likelihood of the horse winning is considered to be 20 approximately 1/50. Betting is typically coordinated between gamblers by a third party entity. In horse racing, for example, this coordination has been traditionally satisfied by bookmakers at a race track. More recently, bookmakers have been replaced by larger companies offering gambling external to where an 25 event occurs, sometimes via the Internet. There are a number of betting products on the market, some specific to a type of event, others more generic. For example, a trifecta is a betting product where an outcome is the horses, for example, that finish in first, 2 second and third places. Another, more generic betting product, is simply betting on a win for a horse, team, or political party, for example. Another category of betting products relates to the calculation of odds. These forms include "pari-mutuel" betting and "fixed odds" betting. 5 Pari-mutuel betting is a form of betting in which the odds are not known to a gambler when placing a bet. The odds are determined after new bets are no longer allowed. The odds change as bets are placed on an event. In other words, the odds are dependent upon the other bets in the pool as the total pool is split among the winners. In pari-mutuel betting, the 10 bookmaker has no risk as the betters are effectively betting against each other with the winners sharing the combined pool. Fixed-odd betting is a form of betting where the odds are known to a better when placing a bet. The bookmaker chooses the odds for the event. These odds may be continually updated, but a gambler is provided the odds 15 offered at the time the bet is placed, irrespective of any later changes. The bookmaker may base the odds upon previous bets, his own knowledge and/or other factors. Modern gambling has generally moved from the traditional bookmakers to larger companies running complex information technology 20 systems. Services are often provided directly over the Internet, or via communications means to a number of smaller outlets. As these systems are typically large, the odds provided/offered are typically accurate. A disadvantage of the above described prior art systems is that separate systems are required for different betting products. For example, 25 fixed-odd and pari-mutuel betting, if both offered by a betting provider, are provided by specific and dedicated systems. This results in higher acquisition and maintenance costs as compared with a single system as multiple systems must be purchased, developed and maintained. The ongoing additional cost of maintaining numerous systems is considerable 30 and represents a significant cost to a business offering both fixed odds and pari-mutuel betting products.

3 A further disadvantage of known systems is that they are not easily extensible to allow for the addition of new products. Products and the events to which a product refers, are inseparable in known systems. Thus the addition of a new product requires substantial system modification which 5 usually incurs a significant cost in the form of high skilled labour costs to attend to any requisite modifications. Therefore, there is a need to overcome or alleviate one or more of the above identified problems associated with known wagering systems. 10 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect, the present invention provides a computer implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of events, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of 15 customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, the method including receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in respect of an event of the plurality of events, a product of the plurality of products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts, and storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with 20 the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a fixed odds or pari-mutuel product, and determining, by the computer system, an outcome of the wager based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari 25 mutuel product. By independently defining various entities such as events, products and customer accounts, the system and method of the present invention can record and manage any type of wager including pari-mutuel and fixed odds. Effectively, the method and system of the present invention is configured to 30 treat the wager as the primary entity with relationships between the wager 4 and other entities, such as specific products and the customer account, being formed according to the particular circumstances of the wager. Adopting this approach allows a unified wagering system to be established that accommodates a range of different types of betting including pari-mutuel 5 and fixed odds wagering. According to an embodiment, the computer-implemented method of wagering further includes receiving, via a communications network, information relating to the outcome of the event; and transmitting, via a communications network, the outcome of the wager. 10 According to another embodiment, the computer-implemented method of wagering further includes receiving, via a communications network, a request for event information from the customer; selecting, on a computer processor, and retrieving, from the data store, one or more events; and transmitting, via a communications network, an event list including 15 information relating to the one or more events, to the customer; wherein the event is an event of the one or more events in the event list. The request and the wager may be received from the customer via a channel, the channel including one of a purpose built kiosk, a computer application, and a browser based application. 20 The one or more events may be selected according to at least one of customer or account preference, jurisdiction and location. Additionally, or alternatively, the event list is sorted according to at least one of customer or account preference, jurisdiction and location. According to another embodiment, the computer-implemented method 25 of wagering further includes: retrieving, from the data store, a plurality products; and associating each of the one or more events with one or more products of the plurality of products.

5 The one or more products associated with each event may be included in the event list. Alternatively, links to the one or more products associated with each event may be included in the event list. According to another aspect, the present invention provides a 5 computer system including a database for maintaining data associated with at least one event, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari mutuel products, and at least one customer account, wherein the at least one event and the at least one customer account are stored independently to the plurality of products, and a computer coupled to the database, wherein 10 the computer includes a processor and a memory, the processor and memory configured to generate, based upon input from a customer associated with a customer account of the at least one customer account, records pertaining to a betting instance including the at least one event, a product from the plurality of products, and the customer account, wherein the 15 product in respect of which said betting instance is generated is a pari mutuel or fixed odds product, and determine an outcome of the betting instance based on odds determined at a time input from the customer is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further input from the customer is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. 20 According to an embodiment, the processor and memory are additionally configured to: retrieve information relating to the at least one event from the database; and associate the at least one event with one or more of the plurality of products. According to yet another aspect, the present invention provides a 25 computer implemented wagering system, the wagering system including an event module for storing a plurality of events, a product catalogue module for storing a plurality of products, the plurality of products including at least pari mutuel and fixed odds products, a customer data module for storing customer account data for a plurality of customers, and a betting instance 30 module, for generating betting instances based upon input from a customer, the betting instances including an association to an event from the event 6 module, to a product from the product catalogue module, and to a customer account from the customer data module, wherein the product in respect of which the betting instance is generated is a pari-mutuel or a fixed odds product, and determining an outcome of the betting instance based on odds 5 determined at a time input from the customer is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further input from the customer is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. The event module may include, for each of the plurality of events at least one contestant, and the betting instance module an association to a 10 contestant from the event module. The customer data module may include, for a customer, a plurality of accounts, and the betting instance module includes an association between the customer and an account of the plurality of accounts. According to an embodiment, the computer implemented wagering 15 system further includes an event-product rule module, which includes rules relating to which products from the plurality of products may be associated with an event. According to another embodiment, the computer implemented wagering system further includes an account-event rule module, which 20 includes rules relating to which events from the plurality of events may be associated with a customer account. The computer implemented wagering system may include a channel module, for storing information relating to a plurality of channels. The system may include a customer account-channel rule module, which 25 includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels a customer account has access.

6a The computer implemented wagering system may include a product channel rule module, which includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels a product is available. The computer implemented wagering system may include an event 5 channel rule module, which includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels an event is available. According to another aspect, the present invention provides a computer-implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of events, 10 a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, the method including receiving, via a communications network, a request for event information from a customer, selecting, on a computer processor, and retrieving, from the electronic data store, one or more events wherein the 15 one or more events are selected according to at least one of customer or account preference, location or jurisdiction, transmitting, via a communications network, an event listing including information relating to the one or more events to the customer, receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in respect of an event of the plurality of 20 events, a product of the plurality of products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts, storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a fixed odds or pari-mutuel product, and determining, by the computer 25 processor, an outcome of the wager based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. According to yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer-implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system 6b manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of events, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, the method including receiving, via a communications network, a request for 5 event information from a customer, wherein the events are sorted according to at least one of customer or account preference, location or jurisdiction, transmitting, via a communications network, an event listing including information relating to the one or more events to the customer, receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in respect of an event 10 of the plurality of events, a product of the plurality of products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts, and storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a fixed odds or pari-mutuel product, and 15 determining, by the computer processor, an outcome of the wager based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. According to another aspect, the invention provides a computer 20 program embodied on a computer readable medium including software code adapted, when executed on a data processing apparatus, to provide a method of wagering as described above.

7 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To assist in understanding the invention and to enable a person skilled in the art to put the invention into practical effect, embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only with reference to the 5 accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a computer system, with which the present invention may be implemented; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a unified wagering system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 10 FIG. 3 illustrates a wagering system, according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a method of wagering, from the view of a computer system, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 15 FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a method of wagering, from the view of a computer system, according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a wagering system, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 20 FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a database, according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is an illustration of an event list, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of a wagering system, according 25 to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 Skilled readers will appreciate that minor deviations from the layout of components as illustrated in the drawings will not detract from the proper functioning of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention. 5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention include a wagering system, method and computer software. Elements of the invention are illustrated in concise outline form in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are necessary for understanding the embodiments of the present invention, 10 but so as not to clutter the disclosure with excessive detail that will be obvious to a skilled reader. FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a computer system 100, with which the present invention may be implemented. The computer system 100 includes a central processor 102, a system 15 memory 104 and a system bus 106 that couples various system components including the system memory 104 to the central processor 102. The system bus 106 may be any of several types of bus structure including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The structure of system memory 104 is well 20 known to those skilled in the relevant field of technology and may include a basic input/output system (BIOS) stored in a read only memory (ROM) and one or more program modules such as operating systems, application programs and program data stored in random access memory (RAM). The computer system 100 may also include a variety of interface units 25 and drives for reading and writing data. In particular, the computer system 100 includes a hard disk interface 108 and a removable memory interface 110 respectively coupling a hard disk drive 112 and a removable memory drive 114 to system bus 106. Examples of removable memory drives 114 include magnetic disk drives and optical disk drives. The drives and their 30 associated computer-readable media, such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) 9 116 provide non-volatile storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer system 100. A single hard disk drive 112 and a single removable memory drive 114 are shown for illustration purposes only and with the understanding that the 5 computer system 100 may include several of such drives. Furthermore, the computer system 100 may include drives for interfacing with other types of computer readable media. The computer system 100 may include additional interfaces for connecting devices to system bus 106. FIG. 1 shows a universal serial bus 10 (USB) interface 118 which may be used to couple a device to the system bus 106. An IEEE 1394 interface 120 may be used to couple additional devices to the computer system 100. The computer system 100 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers or other devices, 15 such as a server, a router, a network personal computer, a peer device or other common network node, a wireless telephone or wireless personal digital assistant. The computer 100 includes a network interface 122 that couples system bus 106 to a local area network (LAN) 124. Networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer 20 networks and home computer systems. A wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, can also be accessed by the computer system 100, for example via a modem unit connected to serial port interface 126 or via the LAN 124. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown and 25 described are exemplary and other ways of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used. The existence of any of various well-known protocols, such as Frame Relay, Ethernet, TCP/IP, FTP, HTTP and the like, is presumed, and the computer system 100 can be operated in a client-server configuration to permit a user to retrieve web pages from a 30 web-based server. Furthermore, any of various conventional web browsers can be used to display and manipulate data on web pages.

10 The operation of the computer system 100 can be controlled by a variety of different program modules. Examples of program modules are routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The present 5 invention may also be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, mainframe computers, personal digital assistants and the like. Furthermore, the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed 10 by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a unified wagering system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 15 A customer interacts with the system 200 through a channel 204 connected to the system 200. The channel 204 allows the customer to access his or her account 206 and to place a bet on an event 208. Examples of channels 204 include a mobile phone, a kiosk located at a betting location, and a web browser running on a computer. 20 The account may, for example, include customer preferences, customer jurisdiction, or other details of the customer. The customer may obtain access to his or her account through an authorization module that authorises the credentials of the customer. Examples of credentials include a username, password, smart card or digital certificate. Authorization 25 modules and authentication are well known in the art. Each customer may be associated with one or more accounts. If a customer is associated with more than one account, the authorization module may also select an account based upon credentials, for example.

11 After authentication, the customer may view an event 208 to which a bet can be placed. Rather than a single event 208, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of events 208 are typically offered for betting. The plurality of events 208 may be filtered based upon preferences of the customer, a location, the 5 channel used, account preferences, account jurisdiction, or by other means. The events 208 are advantageously sorted, for example by event date or alphabetically. The system 200 includes a plurality of products 210. Examples of products 210 include betting on a win, a place, quinella, trifecta, etc. The 10 plurality of product 210 includes both fixed odds and pari-mutuel (variable odds) products. Each event 208 is matched with a product 210 or a plurality of products 210 that are allowed for that event. For example, a sports match may allow betting on a win, but not a place. The products 210 available for 15 an event 208 may advantageously change over time. For example, for sporting events, certain products 210 may be made available after the event 208 has begun. The customer may then select to gamble an amount of money on an outcome of an event 208. A bet instance 212 is generated including a 20 product instance, an event instance, and a customer/account instance. The products 210, the events 208 and the accounts 206 are stored in a database. The products 210, the events 208 and the accounts 206 are stored separately in the database. In other words, the products 210 are defined independently from the events 208 and accounts 206, and the 25 events 208 are defined independently from the accounts 206. The database is designed using an object oriented approach, which includes product objects, event objects and customer objects. The product object allows for the inclusion of both fixed odds and Pari-mutuel (variable odds) products.

12 The independent definitions, especially of the events 208 and products 210, allows for new products to easily be defined. Additionally, multiple products 210 for a single event 208 are easily added to the system without a large amount of redundancy. 5 FIG. 3 illustrates a wagering system 300, according to an embodiment of the invention. The system 300 includes an account module 302, an event module 304, a product module 306, and a channel module 308. Each of the modules 302, 304, 306, 308 defines the data structures of the system 300. The system 300 additionally includes a betting instance module 384 which 10 includes instances of the data structures of the modules 302, 304, 306, 308. The account module 302 specifies fields or parameters of an account. The account module 302 includes an account type 310. The account type 310 is associated with a jurisdiction 312 and a tier 314. Examples of jurisdictions 312 include country (e.g. Australia) and state (e.g. New South 15 Wales, NSW). Examples of tiers 314 include Bronze, Silver and Platinum and indicate a membership status of the account. The account type 310 is associated with one or more account specifications 316 which include a blackbook 318 and one or more preferences 320. The account module 302 includes a customer type 322. The 20 customer type is associated with one or more customer specifications 324, an affiliate 326, a third party 328 and a physical person 330. The account module 302 is connected to the event module 304. An event type 332 of the event module 304 is connected to the account type 310 of the account module 302 via an account-event rule configuration 342. 25 The account-event rule configuration 342 may specify rules which govern whether an account has access to an event. For example, premium events, such as pay per view boxing, may only be available to Platinum members. Additionally, certain events may be illegal to gamble on in certain jurisdictions.

13 The event type 332 provides information about an event through a categorisation. Examples of event types 332 include race, match, game, round and fight. The event type 332 may be associated with event specifications 334. The event type 332 is associated with a contestant type 5 338 through one or more event-contestant rule configurations 336. A contestant type 338 may be, for example, a team, a player, or a horse. The contestant type 338 may be associated with contestant specifications 340. The event module 304 is connected to the product module 306. A product type 344 of the product module 306 is connected to the event type 10 332 of the event module 304, through an event-product rule configuration 346. The event-product rule configuration 346 may specify products types 344 that are compatible with an event type 332. This may include, for example, that a trifecta product, i.e. first, second and third placing in a race, may only relate to horse or greyhound racing events, and not to other events 15 such as sporting matches. The product module 306 may include product bundles 348 associated with a product type 344, and product specifications 350. The product specifications 350 includes the type of odds offered for a product, including fixed odds and pari-mutuel (variable) odds. 20 The event module 304, the product module 306, and the account module 302 are connected to the channel module 308. The channel module provides information regarding access to the wagering system 300, through device descriptions, for example. A channel type 352 of the channel module is connected to the product 25 type 344 of the product module 306 via a product-channel rule configuration 354. The product-channel rule configuration 354 may specify a channel type 352 that is available for a certain product type 344. For example, a live odds product may only be available via the Internet.

14 The channel type 352 of the channel module is connected to the event type 332 of the event module 304 via a channel-event rule configuration 356. The channel-event rule configuration 356 may specify a channel type 352 over which an event type 332 is available. For example, a 5 local horse race event type may only have products available via a local outlet. The channel type 352 of the channel module 308 is connected to the account type 310 of the account module 302 via an account-channel rule configuration 358. The account-channel rule configuration 358 may specify 10 a channel type 352 that is available to an account type 310. For example, gambling via the internet may not be available to certain account types 310 depending on their jurisdiction 312, for example. The channel module 308 may include channel specifications 360 associated with a channel type 352. Additionally, a device type 364 may be 15 associated with a channel type 352 via a channel-device rule configuration 362. The device type 364 may also have associated device specifications 366. The betting instance module 384 is central to the system 300, and includes instances of each of the major features described above that are 20 associated with a bet. A customer instance 368 is associated with a customer type 322, an account instance 370 is associated with an account type 310, a product instance 376 is associated with a product type 344, an event instance 374 is associated with an event type 332, and a contestant instance 372 is associated with a contestant type 338. 25 The customer instance 368 is associated with one or more account instances 370. One or more contestant instances 372 are associated with a product instance 376, and an event instance 374 is associated with a product instance 376. The betting instance module 384 additionally includes an event result 378 associated with the event instance 374. Additionally, a 30 dividend and prices 380 are associated with a product instance 376.

15 The account instance 370 and the product instance 376, along with their associated data as described above, together make a 'bet ticket' 382. FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of a method of wagering 400, from the view of a computer system, according to an embodiment of the 5 present invention. The computer system manages an electronic data store. The electronic data store has a plurality of events, a plurality of products and a plurality of customer accounts stored thereon, all of which are independently defined. 10 At step 405, a wager is received, via a communications network and from a customer, in respect of a wagered event and a wagered product. The communications network may, for example, include the Internet, but as will be readily understood by a skilled reader, any suitable communications network may be used. 15 The wager may include explicit reference to an event, a product, an outcome, and an account, for example. Alternatively, the wager may include an identifier associated with wager details known by the system. This may include a 'favourite' wager type, a suggested wager, or a response to a list of predetermined wagers, for example. 20 At step 410, the wager is stored in the electronic data store. The wager is associated with the wagered event, the wagered product and the customer. The wagered product, the wagered event and the customer are stored in a database as instances of a product definition, an event definition and a 25 customer definition. The products are thus defined independently from the events and the customers, and the events are defined independently from the customers, through their separate definitions.

16 FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a method of wagering 500, from the view of a computer system, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of wagering 500 is similar to the method of wagering 400, 5 and includes a similar electronic data store. At step 505, a request for event information is received, via a communications network, from a customer. The request may include requesting a web page containing the event information, or any other suitable form of data request. 10 At step 510, one or more events are selected, on a computer processor, and retrieved from the data store. The one or more events may be selected based upon a location of a customer, a preference of the customer, a jurisdiction of the customer, or based upon any other suitable parameter. 15 At step 515, an event list, including the one or more events from step 510, is transmitted, via a communications network, to the customer. The event list may include a web page, or raw data to be presented by an application. The event list may include links to products which are available for 20 each event. The event list may, for example, comprise a list of events with associated products. The products may be directly part of the event list, or accessible via one or more additional lists or pages. At step 520, a wager is received, via a communications network and from the customer, in respect of a wagered event and a wagered product. 25 The wager may be received as an identifier embedded in the event list, for example, or through explicit identification.

17 At step 525, the wager is stored in the electronic data store. The wager is associated with the wagered event, the wagered product and the customer. The wagered product, the wagered event and the customer are stored 5 in a database as instances of a product definition, an event definition and a customer definition. The products are thus defined independently from the events and the customers, and the events are defined independently from the customers, through their separate definitions. At step 530, information relating to an outcome of the event is 10 received, via a communications network. The information may include a winning person, horse or team, for example, but may include further details such as a time, placements, a score, or similar information. At step 535, an outcome of the wager is determined on a computer processor. 15 The outcome may be determined using the outcome information 520 alone, or in combination with other information. The outcome may, for example, be calculated as a wagered amount multiplied by an odds of the outcome. The odds may be determined at the time the wager was placed, i.e. fixed odds betting, and stored in a data store associated with the wager. 20 Alternatively, the odds may be determined when no further wagering is allowed for the event, e.g. pari-mutuel wagering, and stored in a data store associated with the event. At step 540, the outcome of the wager is transmitted via the communications network. The outcome may be transmitted to the customer, 25 possibly including information on how to redeem a winnings. The outcome may be transmitted to a gambling agent, or other person, which may handle payouts for the event. FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a wagering system 600, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

18 The wagering system includes a computer 605 and a database 610. The database 610 may be part of the computer, or alternatively connected to the computer via a computer interface. The computer 600 includes a central processor 615 connected to a 5 memory 620. The memory includes a betting instance 625. The database 610 includes an events table 630, a products table 635 and a customers table 640. The database 610 is accessible to the central processor 615 of the computer 605. The database 610 may have an SQL query interface, or any other suitable interface. 10 By independently defining events table 630, a products table 635 and a customers table 640, the system of the present invention can record and manage any type of wager including pari-mutuel and fixed odds, efficiently. FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a database 700, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 15 The database 700 includes an events table 705, a products table 710 and a customers table 715. The events entity 705 includes a plurality of entries 705a-c, each entry 705a-c corresponding to an event. Each entry 705a-c may include fields identifying an event type, an event location, and event identifier, and an 20 event date, for example. The products entity 710 includes a plurality of entries 710a-c, each entry 710a-c corresponding to an event. Each entry 710a-c may include fields identifying an outcome that is being bet on, and a product type. The accounts entity 715 includes a plurality of entries 715a-c, each 25 entry 715a-c corresponding to a customer account. Each entry 715a-c may include fields identifying a name of the customer, and a jurisdiction.

19 As will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art, the entries 705a-c, 715a-c, 720a-c may include more or fewer fields that those described above. For example, each entry may be associated with a unique key. 5 The database 700 may additionally including betting instance information. The betting instance information is advantageously stored as a separate table which references the events table 705, a products table 710 and a customers table 715. FIG. 8 is an illustration of an event list 800, according to an 10 embodiment of the present invention. The event list 800 includes a plurality of events identifiers 805a-c, and each event identifier is associated with a plurality of betting product links 81 0a-i. The plurality of event identifiers 805a-c is advantageously sorted 15 according to user preferences, location or jurisdiction. The plurality of betting product links 81 0a-i include links to both pari mutuel and fixed odds products. The plurality of betting product links 81 Oa-I provide links specific to their associated event. For example, betting product link 81 Oc, linking to a fixed odd trifecta product, would not be suitable for the 20 event associated with event identifier 805c. FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of a wagering system 900, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wagering system includes a wagering server 905 connected to a database 910. The database may, for example, be the database 700 of FIG. 25 7, or any other suitable database. The wagering server is connected to a plurality of devices 915a-c via a communications network 920.

20 The plurality of devices 915a-c include a purpose built kiosk device 915a, a personal computer 915b and a mobile device 915c. The purpose built kiosk device 915a may be running an application on a computer processor, for example. The application may receive raw data 5 via the communications network 920 which is displayed on a screen of the purpose built kiosk device 915a. The personal computer 915b may provide access to the wagering system via a web browser, as will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art. 10 The mobile device 915c may include a purpose built application, such as an application for an iPhone device, manufactured by Apple Computer Inc. California, USA, as is known in the area of technology. The above description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for purposes of description to one of ordinary skill in the 15 related art. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment. As mentioned above, numerous alternatives and variations to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the above teaching. Accordingly, while some alternative embodiments have been discussed specifically, other embodiments will be apparent or 20 relatively easily developed by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, this patent specification is intended to embrace all alternatives, modifications and variations of the present invention that have been discussed herein, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the above described invention. 25

Claims (21)

1. A computer-implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of 5 events, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, the method including: receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in respect of an event of the plurality of events, a product of the plurality of 10 products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts; and storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a fixed odds or pari-mutuel product; and 15 determining, by the computer system, an outcome of the wager based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. 20

2. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 1, further including: receiving, via a communications network, information relating to the outcome of the event; and 25 transmitting, via a communications network, the outcome of the wager. 22

3. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 1, further including: receiving, via a communications network, a request for event information from the customer; 5 selecting, on a computer processor, and retrieving, from the data store, one or more events; and transmitting, via a communications network, an event list including information relating to the one or more events, to the customer; wherein the event is an event of the one or more events in the event 10 list.

4. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 3, wherein the request and the wager are received from the customer via a channel, the channel including one of a purpose built kiosk, a computer application, and a 15 browser based application.

5. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 3, the method further including: retrieving, from the data store, a plurality products; and 20 associating each of the one or more events with one or more products of the plurality of products.

6. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 5, wherein the one or more products associated with each event are included in the 25 event list. 23

7. The computer-implemented method of wagering of claim 5, wherein links to the one or more products associated with each event are included in the event list. 5

8. A computer system including: a database for maintaining data associated with at least one event, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and at least one customer account, wherein the at least one event and the at least one customer account are stored independently to the plurality of products; 10 and a computer coupled to the database, wherein the computer includes a processor and a memory, the processor and memory configured to: generate, based upon input from a customer associated with a customer account of the at least one customer account, records pertaining to 15 a betting instance including the at least one event, a product from the plurality of products, and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said betting instance is generated is a pari-mutuel or fixed odds product; and determine an outcome of the betting instance based on odds 20 determined at a time input from the customer is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further input from the customer is allowed for a pari-mutuel product.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the processor and memory 25 are additionally configured to: retrieve information relating to the at least one event from the database; and associate the at least one event with one or more of the plurality of products. 24

10. A computer implemented wagering system, the wagering system including: an event module for storing a plurality of events; 5 a product catalogue module for storing a plurality of products, the plurality of products including at least pari-mutuel and fixed odds products; a customer data module for storing customer account data for a plurality of customers; and a betting instance module, for: 10 generating betting instances based upon input from a customer, the betting instances including an association to an event from the event module, to a product from the product catalogue module, and to a customer account from the customer data module, wherein the product in respect of which the betting instance is generated is a pari-mutuel or a fixed odds 15 product; and determining an outcome of the betting instance based on odds determined at a time input from the customer is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further input from the customer is allowed for a pari-mutuel product. 20

11. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 10, wherein the event module includes, for each of the plurality of events at least one contestant, and the betting instance module includes an association to a contestant from the event module. 25

12. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 10, wherein the customer data module includes, a plurality of accounts for a customer, and the betting instance module includes an association between the customer and the plurality of accounts. 25

13. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 10, further including an event-product rule module, which includes rules relating to which products from the plurality of products may be associated with an 5 event.

14. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 10, further including an account-event rule module, which includes rules relating to which events from the plurality of events may be associated with an account. 10

15. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 10, further including a channel module, for storing information relating to a plurality of channels. 15

16. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 15, further including a customer-channel rule module, which includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels for which a customer will have access. 20

17. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 15, further including a product-channel rule module, which includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels a product is available over.

18. The computer implemented wagering system of claim 15, further 25 including an event channel rule module, which includes rules relating to which channels from the plurality of channels an event is available over. 26

19. A computer-implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of events, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, 5 the method including: receiving, via a communications network, a request for event information from a customer; selecting, on a computer processor, and retrieving, from the electronic data store, one or more events wherein the one or more events are selected 10 according to at least one of customer or account preference, location or jurisdiction; transmitting, via a communications network, an event listing including information relating to the one or more events to the customer; receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in 15 respect of an event of the plurality of events, a product of the plurality of products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts; storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a 20 fixed odds or pari-mutuel product; and determining, by the computer processor, an outcome of the wager based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari mutuel product. 25

20. A computer-implemented method of wagering, wherein a computer system manages an electronic data store, having stored therein a plurality of events, a plurality of products including fixed odds and pari-mutuel products, and a plurality of customer accounts, all of which are independently defined, 30 the method including: 27 receiving, via a communications network, a request for event information from a customer; wherein the events are sorted according to at least one of customer or account preference, location or jurisdiction; 5 transmitting, via a communications network, an event listing including information relating to the one or more events to the customer; receiving, via a communications network, a wager from a customer in respect of an event of the plurality of events, a product of the plurality of products and a customer account of the plurality of customer accounts; and 10 storing the wager, in the electronic data store, and associating the wager with the event, the product and the customer account, wherein the product in respect of which said wager is received is a fixed odds or pari mutuel product; and determining, by the computer processor, an outcome of the wager 15 based on odds determined at a time the wager is received for a fixed odds product, or odds determined when no further wagering is allowed for a pari mutuel product.

21. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium 20 including software code adapted, when executed on a data processing apparatus, to provide a method of wagering as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, or claim 19 or claim 20.